


Handwritten

by prosaicwonder



Series: Be My Valentine [2]
Category: Beyblade, ベイブレードバースト | Beyblade Burst (Anime)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Secret Admirer, White Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 22:42:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10291886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosaicwonder/pseuds/prosaicwonder
Summary: During the week before White Day, Valt receives a series of strange notes in his locker. Does Valt have a new secret admirer?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to Homemade. Almost didn’t make it in time because I’ve been so busy lately. OTL;; Anyway enjoy~

“Hmm…”

 

Shu stared at the glossy catalogue he held in his hand. He was standing at the counter in some fancy upmarket chocolaterie, surrounded by dozens of beautifully-made confections in various shades of browns and – occasionally - other colours of the rainbow. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, strawberry, orange, matcha, cherry blossom… the possibilities were endless. Not that he was even interested in eating any of these chocolates himself, though.

 

No, far from it – today, Shu Kurenai was on a special mission.

 

Honestly, it wasn’t as if Shu was even going to buy anything from the expensive Bey Mall shop. He just needed to do important research before _that day_ arrived. Shu wanted to see how those overpriced, sticky little sugar bombs were so meticulously made and presented; luckily, he had a good memory so he would later remember how to replicate the shapes and presentation of the same chocolates at home. There was just one problem: there were far too many chocolates to choose from.

 

White chocolate-coated strawberries? They might not last long enough in the locker. Teddy bear-shaped cake pops? Seemed a bit childish - even for Valt, Shu thought as he suppressed a laugh. Macarons? Too expensive… and that was not even counting the 5-digit price-tagged Godiva chocolate boxes in the other (more intimidating) part of the shop, which was empty save for one or two flashy-looking customers.

 

Now that Shu thought about it, one of those customers had long blonde hair and had been wearing dark sunglasses indoors – that person must’ve been a popular celebrity or something.

 

Resisting the urge to shake his head, Shu focused his thoughts on the present. He was still standing in the same shop, but somehow the catalogue had fallen onto the shiny wood of the counter. Honestly, he just wanted to leave, because the shop had nothing that would suit Valt, or his wallet…

 

But then again, Valt wasn’t actually too partial to sweet things either. In a way, Valt was just like Shu.

 

The owner of Spriggan let out a sigh. If they were similar in that sense, then didn’t that mean that Valt had the same problem with buying chocolates a month ago…?

 

The entire month had been a challenge so far, because the chocolates had not been the only thing on Shu’s mind – he also needed to plan what he would write next.

 

Shu’s thoughts drifted back to the events which had occurred nearly a month ago. Seeing Valt’s excitement at receiving the white envelope in his locker had made Shu’s heart race. He had taken extra precautions to ensure that his best friend would never find out who had sent the letter. Luckily, Valt was popular and he had received a good amount of obligatory sweets from classmates and friends, so Shu could use that as an excuse for sending his envelope, as well as for other things…

 

The catalogue fell from the counter, drifting onto the carpeted floor as Shu stood motionlessly, as if frozen in time.

 

‘That’s right. I need to go with my instinct this time.’ Shu thought silently. He bent down to pick up the fallen catalogue, returning it to its original place before darting out the shop.

 

On the way out, Shu had bumped into someone, knocking them to the ground.

 

“Sorry!” he apologised quickly as he rushed out the door. The fallen person shook his head, reaching a hand out next to him to retrieve a pair of sunglasses from the floor. A small box of elegantly-wrapped Godiva chocolates was tightly clutched in his other arm.

 

“Are you okay?” the concerned sales lady asked nearby. The customer nodded, getting up and putting his sunglasses back on before dusting himself off. His shiny black leather pants were now dirty; what a shame.

 

“I’m fine. Glad this wasn’t damaged.” the customer replied, before flashing a perfect white smile at the lady, who seemed to swoon at the sight of that.

 

“That person must be very lucky.”

 

The customer hummed in agreement before exiting the shop door. 

 

* * *

 

“Kurogami.”

 

On the next day, the owner of Deathscyther had stopped walking in the middle of the passage at Beigoma Academy. He then turned towards the owner of the familiar voice.

 

“Shu. Good morning.” Daina greeted as he walked towards the taller boy.

 

“Do you have a moment?” Shu asked. Daina nodded.

 

“Good. Come with me.” Shu led the shorter boy up the stairs and down another passage, until they were facing the door of some other classroom. Daina arched an eyebrow underneath his dark red head scarf.

 

“No one will be here now.” Shu explained, sliding the door open and gesturing for the other boy to go in. “This way, no one will find out what we are talking about.”

 

Shu’s being really suspicious, Daina thought, but he went along with it anyway. Soon, they were sitting face-to-face in front of one of the wooden school desks, and the door of the classroom had been shut so that no outside noise could be heard from where they were seated.

 

“Sorry for rushing you like this,” Shu apologised. “But I thought I’d come early before classes start.”

 

“That’s okay,” Daina replied. “Good thing we’re both early risers, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Shu replied, before he let out a small laugh. “Unlike someone we both know.”

 

“And I guess, that that _someone_ is the target of our conversation now?”

“Correct.”

 

“Well, I think I already know what this is about, but anyway… what is it?” Daina asked.

 

“The fourteenth of this month…” Shu trailed off. “It’s in a week’s time.”

 

“Yes, it is…” Daina agreed, before adding: “And I’m guessing that you need my help for something to do with that, then?”

 

Embarrassed, Shu let out a soft sigh before he spoke again. “I’m planning to make… something… for Valt. But that’s not what I need help with.” 

 

He looked down at the owner of Deathscyther as he continued: “I need someone to keep him and the Bey Club busy while I put everything in his locker.”

 

“Everything?” Daina echoed as one eyebrow raised underneath his dark red headband.

 

“Yes.” Shu replied. “Actually, there are a few things that I plan to give… him, but my ‘real’ gift will be sent on the day.”

 

“I see,” Daina said, nodding in understanding. “So you plan to send… Valt… the other things during the next week, then?”

 

“Yeah,” Shu replied. “This might be tricky. It means that Valt and the others have to be distracted more than once.” He looked around before continuing: “I know you helped Valt last time, and that’s why I’m telling you about this.”

 

“Do you have anything planned after cram school, Kurogami?” Shu asked, making the other boy shake his head.

 

“No… why?” Daina asked, and then Shu leaned forward to whisper something into his ear.

 

“I see," Daina said, nodding in understanding. “I’ll meet you after cram school, then.”

 

“Thanks. See you later.”

 

Fortunately for the two boys, they had both left several minutes before the first bell of the school day rang. 

 

* * *

 

"Hey, Shu~" Valt pouted in his chair two seats away from Shu's school desk. "Where were you this morning? I didn't see you anywhere..."

 

Shu felt inwardly guilty at that. Apologetically, he smiled at his friend. "Sorry Valt, I had a few things I needed to do before class." 

 

He hoped that would be a good enough excuse; thankfully the other boy did not ask any further. Or, it was more like Valt couldn't respond anymore, because he had stopped paying attention to Shu: he was looking down at his desk with his lips pressed together, and his face was oddly flushed. It was actually a bit... cute?

 

This did not go ignored by the taller boy. Shu mentally added the moment to his checklist of 'Weird Things That Valt Aoi Has Been Doing Since February 14'. So far he knew that Valt was blushing and stuttering around him, as well as messing up badly during Beyblade practices whenever Shu decided to pitch up on the rooftop.

 

'Don't forget, Valt.' Shu thought, pretending to be focused on the teacher and the blackboard in front of him. 'You'll find out soon...'

 

The rest of the day's classes seemed to pass by in a blur, and then the bell rang, signalling the end of the school day.

 

"Valt." Shu said when the two of them were left alone in the classroom.

 

Valt squeaked at hearing the sound of his name. "Y-yes?!"

 

Keeping his face neutral, Shu continued: "Don't worry about going home with me today. I've got extra stuff I need to finish at cram school."

 

"O-okay..." Valt said, sounding a bit sad at that, and Shu felt a strange pang of emotion go through him. However, the loneliness was quickly replaced with a cheerful-looking smile.

 

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow!" Valt told him as he slung his school bag over his shoulder and left the classroom.

 

'Sorry, Valt.' Shu thought as he watched the open door, seeing his friend grow further away from his sight. 'It's for your own good... but I promise I'll make you happy soon.'

 

* * *

 

"You're his friend; _you_ should know what he likes. Why are you asking me, anyway?" Daina said to the other boy. 

 

After their additional classes ended, the two boys returned to Shu's apartment to talk more about their collective 'plan' for White Day. Despite Shu telling himself to use his instinct to come up with ideas for the chocolate, his perfectionist side had taken over again and he found himself unable to decide yet again on which type of chocolate he should make for Valt.

 

"I needed an outsider's perspective on this." Shu replied with a sigh. "Valt won't say no to anything, which means that there are a lot more options to choose from."

 

"Exactly," Daina told him. "Have you thought about making one of each flavour, then?"

 

"I have," Shu replied, before admitting: "Though I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to make all the fillings."

 

"You're not doing this alone," Daina reminded him. "If we do it together, then we can get these done the night before... provided that no one comes to interrupt us then."

 

"That would be a great help." Shu told the other boy. "Thanks for agreeing to help me on this. You can stay for dinner later if you like."

 

"Anytime," Daina replied. "What are you planning on making?"

 

"Spaghetti Carbonara." Shu replied. Soon the pasta was cooked and the sauce was ready; both boys had moved to sit at the dining table and tucked into their meals.

 

"Itadakimasu."

 

They both ate quietly; Daina particularly enjoying the taste of the freshly-cooked pasta dish. It wasn't often that he would visit other people's homes, let alone visit Shu's, so eating anything other than his own cooking or convenience meals was like a special occasion to him. Valt really was a lucky guy, Daina thought, and the darker side of him snickered evilly in his mind. 'He's lucky to have such a loving wife by his side...'

 

"Hey, Kurogami?" Shu's voice broke through his thoughts, startling the shorter boy and causing his fork to fall onto the tablecloth; the carbonara sauce splattered on the perfectly white fabric and stained it yellow.

 

"No!" Daina exclaimed, grabbing the fork and standing up. "I'm so sorry! I'll go clean this up-"

 

"Don't even think about it." Shu cut him off, his eyes silently demanding that the other boy sit back down and finish his meal. Daina complied and sat back down in his chair while Shu got up and walked to the kitchen. A few seconds later, he returned with a damp cloth and a clean fork, which he handed over to the other boy. Daina thanked him and Shu leaned over to wipe the mess away, leaving to wash the cloth off and coming back after that was done.

 

“So, you said that Valt would like anything, huh? …”

 

* * *

 

Four days before White Day, Valt found himself staring into his own locker in disbelief. There had been another envelope: this one was the exact shape and size as the one he had received nearly a month ago, and the font had been the same unrecognisable - yet neat - handwriting. This letter, again, was decorated with cute blue and white stickers.

 

_“Keep smiling. You’re doing great.”_

 

Valt blinked at the text before a wide grin spread across his face. After he ran out the classroom at record speed, the two boys hidden in the distance gave each other matching thumbs-up.

 

The next three days went by similarly, with Valt returning to his locker at the end of the day and finding a new white envelope of the same shape and size every time. The messages seemed to become more personal, too, with each day that went by:

 

_“You’re a great blader and a great person.”_

_“You’re the reason why I keep going.”_

_“You bring happiness into my life.”_

 

Valt blushed at the words of the last letter before musing out loud: “It’s from someone who knows me, but I wonder if I know this person too…?'

 

‘I wish these were from Shu though…’ a tiny voice whined at the back of his head. Valt froze, his hands turning stiff and causing him to almost drop the letter onto the floor.

 

‘Wait WHAT?! … What does that even mean?!’ Valt thought. He furiously shook his head and brought his hands up to squish and pinch at his cheeks. 

 

'It’s not as if Shu even knows that I gave him Valentine’s Day chocolates… right?!’ At least, he hoped that was the case.

 

‘Gaaah! Stupid hormones!! Why did this have to happen to me?! Stupid stupid stupid! Shu would never like me back! Especially with all the other girls he could choose from…!!’

 

While Valt flailed around in one spot during his internal struggle, the two boys sweat-dropped from a further distance.

 

“He’s so obvious.” Daina whispered before facepalming at the sight.

 

“I can practically hear what he’s thinking,” Shu whispered in return, shaking his head at his best friend – and crush’s – antics. “It’s probably something like, ‘Shu would never like me back’, or something.”

 

“In that case, he’s got it totally wrong.” Daina said. “Thankfully he’s not the brightest crayon in the box.”

 

“I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Do you… really think that he returns the feeling?” Shu asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “He still seems to think that I ignored his chocolate.”

 

“You can’t be serious,” Daina deadpanned. “Have you seen the way he looks at you during practice? Why do you think he’s been acting weird lately?"

 

Shu thought back to their encounters from Valentine’s day up until the present day. Valt was definitely more nervous around him; Shu had to pretend he knew nothing about the chocolate even if it took a month for him to do so. Honestly, having to do that had gradually chewed away at his patience, no pun intended. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow, where he could finally speak out about how he truly felt about his closest friend – though there was a slight chance that Valt would reject him for whatever reason, so he did not allow himself to get overly excited at the thought of it.

 

“You told me before, right?” Daina’s voice cut through his thoughts, making Shu focus his attention on the other boy.

 

“Some things can’t be seen at first… sometimes, it’s others who see things before you do.”

 

Shu smiled at the memory. “Yeah.”

 

* * *

 

“Ahh, we did it. Thank goodness.” Daina sighed in relief as he looked down at the twelve perfectly-shaped squares of milk chocolate.

 

The day had passed quickly and the sun had set around an hour ago. Both boys had met up at Shu’s apartment for one last time; Daina was currently wearing his infamous frilly pale pink apron, and standing next to him was Shu, who wore his normal green-and-white apron which he used in the kitchen daily.

 

“We followed the recipe exactly, so they shouldn’t taste bad.” Shu remarked. As Daina suggested, the duo ended up making twelve different types of chocolates. On the outside, all the confectionaries looked identical, so that it would be a surprise when Valt decided to eat them.

 

"Thanks again for your help, Kurogami." Shu told the other boy, who smiled in response.

 

"It's nothing." Daina answered, before he asked: "Do you know what you want to write in the letters?"

 

Shu smirked in response: a silent affirmation to the question which had been asked.

 

“One more thing.” the owner of Spriggan said.

 

“Hm?”

 

“I’ve already planned ‘it’… and I plan to tell him on the same day.”

 

“‘It’…? You mean…?” Daina gasped softly upon realising what Shu had meant, and then he smiled again, this time in understanding. 

 

"Ah, alright. I’ll make sure that no one is on the rooftop then.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

Valt opened his locker the next day. It was finally March 14. It was not as if he was expecting anything in return: he had given all his friends some cheap sweets that he ‘borrowed’ from Nika and Tokonatsu, and the only person he had given proper chocolates to was Shu – who couldn’t possibly know that he was the sender of them… right?

 

‘It’s probably better that Shu doesn’t know about it.’ Valt thought, mentally shrugging away the heavy disappointment he felt. ‘Though I wonder if he even ate them…’

 

Valt froze at seeing the contents in his locker. Inside, there was a small square box, neatly wrapped with pretty paper and ribbons which had the same colour scheme as Valkyrie. On top of the box, there was another envelope: Valt realised that the same person who sent all the previous letters must’ve given him the box, too.

 

Shakily, he tore open the envelope and took out the piece of paper which was inside. The paper seemed to be even more expensive-looking this time: Valt was inwardly relieved that he did not accidentally damage it while opening the envelope.

 

The handwriting was also the same as that of the previous letters, and what was written on the paper had made Valt’s heartbeat quicken dramatically:

 

_“I have something to tell you. Meet me on the rooftop today at noon.”_

 

“So I’ll finally find out who you are…” Valt murmured. He placed the paper - surprisingly carefully this time - back into the envelope.

 

Suddenly, Shu's smiling face appeared in his mind, and Valt nearly dropped the envelope in fright.

 

'Why am I thinking about him again?!' Valt thought, his hands tightly gripped on the white paper of the envelope. 'Get it together, Valt...'

 

"V-a-l-t." a voice spoke from next to him, startling the owner of Valkyrie once again.

 

"Whoa!" Valt flailed around and caught the letter again before it fell to the floor. "Kumicho! You scared me." he said before letting out a laugh.

 

"Well, I guess you didn't hear what I said then," the blonde told him in mild annoyance. He cleared his throat before saying: "We're practicing in the gym today if you wanna come."

 

Absentmindedly, Valt nodded. "O-okay..." He was more focused on meeting his mysterious admirer on the rooftop later; it was probably the first and only time that he would abandon Beyblade practice for some other reason. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he did not see Kumicho raise an eyebrow at him and turn around to walk back to his classroom.

 

Valt blushed at the thought of meeting the unknown person, alone, on the rooftop. There had only been one person who had received his chocolate on Valentine's Day, but it was ludicrous to even imagine that the same person would give him chocolates and even handwritten letters in return. Shu was perfect in every way: handsome, intelligent and one of the best Beybladers in the country-...

 

'Gaaaah!! Stop it, Valt!' the owner of Valkyrie chided himself mentally as he brought both hands up to grab at the top of his head, the envelope still being tightly held in his one hand as he did so. 

 

'It might not even be him... maybe it was actually from one of my friends?' 

 

Valt grimaced at the thought, as much as he didn't want to do that. Kumicho wasn't really the type to give him fancy handwritten messages or elegantly-boxed chocolates. Kensuke only really met up with Valt on weekends, and lately the defense-type blader had been babbling about a 'special friend' that he had at his new school that he was planning on giving his own White Day gift to. Daina hadn't really been acting weird lately, except for the fact that he and Shu always seemed to be together for some reason. _That_ was suspicious, since Daina was the one who had helped Valt with his Valentine's Day gift. Maybe he actually liked Shu? If that was the case, then why would Daina give him White Day chocolate? Unless it was a gift of friendship? ... The confectionaries looked way too expensive to be obligation chocolates, though. 

 

Maybe it was someone from another school? No, it couldn't be - since that person requested to see Valt face-to-face. It had to be someone from Beigoma Academy. But _who_...?

 

Thinking about all of this made Valt's heart race, as if Valkyrie's horse was galloping wildly inside his chest. He couldn't calm down; the anticipation and suspense made him shaky with nervousness. Valt forced himself to bring his hands back down and looked down at the floor. 

 

'If... if it's someone else, then I need to turn that person down.' Valt thought as he swallowed. He hated the thought of rejecting whichever poor person who had gathered up the courage to give _him_ a gift, out of all people. Subconsciously, Valt brought his hand over his chest until the envelope was tightly clutched against the place where his heart was. 

 

'I’ll be there... just you wait.'

 

* * *

 

Valt swallowed thickly as he took in his surroundings. Unlike the previous few days, the school hours of White Day seemed to last forever. It just seemed to worsen the growing uneasiness within him; Valt didn’t know if he was supposed to feel relieved that time was passing by slowly, or if he should’ve been wishing for the moment to come soon so that it could be over and done with.

 

He was standing up on the rooftop, underneath a clear blue sky and looking down at the bright green sea of trees below. As Kumicho had told Valt the previous day, the other club members were having practice in the gym, so no one else was on the rooftop with him.

 

Valt was beginning to get impatient; every few seconds he would bring his hands up to adjust the yellow plastic hair band on his head, and then he would start tapping his foot or swing his arms around as if he was getting ready for a bey battle. Afterwards, he’d look around to try and find something to keep his bored (yet nervous) mind occupied.

 

However, his eyes couldn’t wander any more when his vision suddenly went black.

 

Valt nearly jumped at the contact before he remained still, blinking behind the obstruction in front of him. His eyes were still open as normal, but something warm and soft had been pressed against them. He could make out a pair of thumbs which were resting against his temples.

 

“W-who’s there?” Valt demanded, silently cursing himself for stuttering.

 

A few seconds passed and there was no reply. Valt took in a deep breath as he willed himself to relax; somehow, he had a feeling that whoever was behind him did not mean any harm.

 

Gathering up any courage that was left within him, Valt spoke clearly: “I guess this is our first meeting then? That’s great!”

 

Silence.

 

“I wanted to tell you that your letters meant a lot to me – to be honest I was not expecting anyone to even send them to me. The chocolates, too: they look amazing!! When I first saw them, a part of me wondered who would even do something as crazy as that, but thank you… it made me really happy.”

 

Valt felt his skin grow hot as the person behind him still said nothing. He just hoped that whoever it was standing behind him would not think he was stupid or embarrassing for speaking his thoughts out loud. Yet, the hands which had been covering his eyes did not let go.

 

The mysterious figure suddenly moved forward - closer… until Valt felt a larger, taller body being pressed against the back of his puffy sleeveless vest.

 

“Haha…” Valt laughed nervously, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the closeness. ‘Just imagine that it’s Shu doing this,’ he thought, in an attempt to quash any feelings of embarrassment that he had. He no longer cared that he would always think about his best friend in these types of situations – he had finally accepted that he had a crush on Shu Kurenai.

 

“I… I feel bad about what I’m about to say next, because you’ve done so much for me already. I’m happy that someone felt that way about me and didn’t keep quiet about it…”

 

“… But I feel bad because I’m unable to accept what you’ve given me. I can’t like you in that way, because there is someone else who no one else can replace as number one.” More silence.

 

“In that case, tell me about that person.” a familiar male voice spoke next to his ear.

 

Valt could not see it, but he was pretty sure that all the colour had drained from his own face. This situation seemed a lot better in his mind.

 

Now that he was aware of it, one of the person’s hands had also been covered by some sort of fabric. He was pretty sure that it was a glove…

 

Valt spun around sharply, yanking himself away from the other person who was now standing in front of him. He let out the breath he didn’t realise that he’d been holding as he looked up into his best friend’s eyes.

 

“So, are you going to answer my question, Valt?” Shu asked, making the other boy blush under his gaze.

 

Valt fidgeted as he looked around, trying desperately to avoid those eyes that seemed to know everything. He took in a breath before replying:

 

“That person… is one of the best things that have happened to me. That person always motivates me to do better, has always been there for me no matter what… It was hard to make friends with that person, but I managed to do it anyway. And I have no regrets about that.”

 

“Lately this person has been on my mind the most… and it was also only recently that I finally understood my own feelings. That person was – no, _is_ the only person I feel this way about. I know it’s stupid, that it’s childish to even say things like this… and I probably sound like a girl, but whatever – I like that person a lot, and I don’t care what anyone else says!”

 

What seemed like minutes passed as Valt took in the features of the other boy in front of him. Shu’s usually-stoic expression contained unmasked surprise - as if he had been caught off-guard – and then his serious face suddenly returned. It filled Valt with nervousness, because usually when Shu wore that expression, it meant that he was about to say something _incredibly important_.

 

“Please listen to me seriously, and do not laugh at what I’m about to tell you.”

 

“W-… what?” Valt stuttered, feeling partly nervous, partly anxious and partly wishing that he could run away or that quicksand would magically appear under his feet and whisk him out of Beigoma Academy.

 

“Valt,” Shu said lowly, his garnet eyes never leaving the other boy’s face. “I knew it was you the whole time, so I’m going to say this: thank you.”

 

“Huh?” Valt blinked. “‘Thank you’… for what?”

 

Shu wanted to sigh loudly at that, but he refrained from expressing his frustration at how dense his friend could be sometimes. “For the chocolate.” he added, quieter this time.

 

“Choco… late? … … O-oh… ooohhhh…” Valt groaned as he shrunk into himself, burying his face in both hands as a bright blush spread across his face.

 

“Valt…” Shu said, concerned for the other.

 

“’m sorry…” Valt mumbled through the hands over his face. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I didn’t think you’d find out about that… they were probably gross, right?”

 

“Have you already forgotten what I told you last month?”

 

Valt looked puzzled for a moment, and was about to reply when Shu spoke again.

 

“‘It turned out that the homemade chocolate was actually the best of them all.’ Remember now?”

 

“Ohhh! Now I remember!” Valt exclaimed, his mood a 180-degree turn from earlier. His usual bright and sunny disposition returned, and he grinned widely at the other boy.

 

Shu smiled back warmly. Honestly, the chocolates had not tasted too bad despite not looking extremely cute or perfect on the outside. What had made it special, though, was that they had been made especially for Shu – lovingly, even – by his own precious childhood friend.

 

“Since you were the one that made them and sent them to me, don’t you have something to say as well…?”

 

Valt tensed at the words, trying to fight back the blush which threatened to spread across his cheeks like wildfire. “N-no!! No! It was nothing!! It didn’t have any message at all! I swear-”

 

“Don’t lie!”

 

Silence.

 

“Sorry. It’s just…” Shu let out a choked laugh before bringing a hand up to run through his hair with his fingers. “I’ve been waiting for you to do this for so long.”

 

“Waiting…?”

 

“Valt. Let’s just make it clear: I know what you’ve been thinking about me. You still feel that way, don’t you?” Shu asked, making Valt wince at the words. It was unusual for the Spriggan owner to be this forward, after all.

 

“I… y-yeah…” Valt replied, his cheeks turning scarlet under Shu’s bright red gaze.

 

“Good...” Shu said, dropping his hand to his side as he focused his gaze on the shorter boy in front of him. “Because that makes two of us.”

 

“Eh?”

 

“The notes you received in your locker. What did they all say?” Shu asked.

 

“Uhh… they said stuff like ‘You make me happy’ and ‘You’re a great person’ and whatever…” Valt mumbled, shrinking into himself. He had never wished so much for a sinkhole to appear under his feet until now.

 

“What about the first letter from Valentine’s Day?” Shu asked again.

 

“That one? … It said something weird like ‘You’ll find out in a month’s time’ or something.” Valt replied. Suddenly his eyes widened in realization, and he stepped forward into Shu’s space. “Wait, how do you even know about that, Shu?!”

 

Shu didn’t move away as he responded. “I would know about those, because the person who wrote them is standing in front of you right now.”

 

“Hey, wait a minute!” Valt yelled out, fishing the last letter from his pocket and opening it up frantically, crumpling the perfect white surface of the paper as he thrust it in front of the taller blader’s face. “This isn’t even your handwriting!”

 

“You’re right, it isn’t…” Shu said, before smiling faintly. “Not the type you know, at least.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Shu smiled at his friend next to him before continuing: “When I injured my shoulder again, I had to learn to write with my left hand - I just never told you.”

 

“I already knew what you felt about me, because I saw you and Kurogami standing by my locker last month." he continued. "When I saw what you had made for me, I knew immediately that they were yours.”

 

He tilted his head down to look fully at Valt, who shivered at the now-serious expression his friend wore. 

 

"I like you, Valt. I always have…” Shu said as he looked straight into Valt's brown eyes. "Please go out with me.”

 

Impossible, Valt had thought initially. To see Shu hunched forward in front of him, his long hair hanging over his face as he had one hand extended in nervous anticipation… it felt like a surreal dream. 

 

Valt probably took too long thinking about it, because Shu suddenly straightened up and dropped his hand to his side before turning around towards the exit.

 

“Sorry, I’ll go now.” the taller blader said, his voice distant. 

 

“No-! Shu!!” 

 

Valt ran forward, tackling the other boy to the ground in one impressive and swift movement. Shu let out a grunt as his back collided with the hard ground, a dull ache spreading from the base of his spine and shooting through his shoulders. The smaller boy lay on top of him, his short and skinny limbs entangled with Shu's longer ones. Valt's face hovered above the other boy's, his breath tickling the edges of Shu's face.

 

“You’re right. But then again, you’re always right. That’s why I couldn’t tell you directly, because you always find me out.”

 

Valt squeezed his eyes shut as he lowered his head, his plastic head band loosening until it nearly fell out of his hair.

 

“… But I just kept telling myself that it was just a phase, because what kind of person falls for their best friend?” Despite his eyes being closed, he could see Shu’s surprised expression in front of him, and did not miss the soft gasp which came after his question.

 

“Please don’t go… not before you hear my answer, anyway.” Valt continued, moving away slightly as he opened his eyes to look down at the other boy.

 

“I like you too, Shu. There aren’t enough words in the world for me to say how much I do. I was scared that you would find out, so I ran away – from myself and from my feelings.”

 

“Valt…” Shu said softly.

 

“But this time I won’t run away! I won’t hide it any longer…” Valt said as he pushed himself up from the ground, extending a hand towards his best friend with a smile. Shu returned a smile of his own before grabbing the hand which was reached out towards him, and allowed himself to be pulled up.

 

“So give me a hug already.”

 

Like a perfect launch in the stadium, Valt pulled his hand – and Shu’s – towards himself. His other arm had been spread wide until their bodies collided; that was when Valt brought his free arm around and let go of the other boy’s gloved hand. Both of Valt’s arms ended up around Shu’s waist and a pair of arms was wrapped around his shoulders.

 

While they both stood still in their embrace, Valt went up on his toes and craned his neck forward to plant a small kiss on the taller boy’s cheek. He moved his head away to look up at Shu, giggling at the way the other boy’s pale face flushed until it turned a reddish-pink hue; it reminded him of strawberry candy.

 

“Haha. Gotcha.” Valt whispered as he grinned cheekily at his best friend.

 

Shu blushed even harder at the words before retorting: “Shut up.”

 

“Never thought you’d be this easy to tease, Shu.” Valt said, relishing the way the usually calm and composed blader genius acted this way around him – and him _only_ , he gloated inside his head. “I should’ve done this years ago.”

 

“If you keep saying things like that, I’m going home without you.” Shu muttered, making Valt let out a laugh in response.

 

“Seriously though,” Valt continued, his brown eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. He moved forward, pulling them both closer until their noses were nearly touching.

 

“Go out with me, Shu.”

“I asked you first, so you need to answer first.”

 

“You’re so mean.” Valt pouted, pretending to be hurt. “Fine, I’m saying yes. But I want to hear your answer as well.”

 

He wanted to laugh at Shu’s reaction to that; the other boy’s lips were tightly shut, with a mortified look on his face. A deep blush had spread over his pale face; even his ears had turned pink.

 

“Do I have to say it? …” Shu mumbled, his face turning even redder as he tried to bury his face into the crook of the other boy’s neck. Valt pulled away with a mischievous grin, shaking his head softly as if to say ‘Ah-ah, not until you say it.’

 

“Okay, I’ll… I’ll go out with you, Valt.”

 

“There we go…” Valt murmured, leaning in closer to the other. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

 

“Shut it.” Shu said, pretending to be annoyed, but his face had leaned forward as well. “So… is it official then?”

 

Valt kissed the other boy’s cheek softly before replying: “You can say that.”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, who even decided that we must come here anyway?” Kumicho grumbled inside the Beigoma Academy gym. Seated next to him was Wakiya, then Hoji and Daina; in front of them was a large practice bey dish, which was empty since they were all taking a quick break from practicing.

 

Daina gave him a flat look before replying: “It’s been a while since we’ve practiced here. We need to get used to any type of surroundings during a battle.”

 

“This is stupid! I don’t wanna battle here.” Kumicho whined.

 

“You’re just in a bad mood because no one gave you anything for White Day.” Wakiya said, before sighing dramatically. “It must be hard to be unloved by so many people.”

 

"Why you-!!"

 

“He’s always like this.” Hoji whispered into Daina’s ear, making the Deathscyther owner nod in understanding.

 

“Don’t tell anyone, but I got something from Master earlier. We can share it later, if you want.”

 

Before Daina could reply, Wakiya spoke again. “Why is it that every time I’m not looking, you two are whispering something behind my back?”

 

“What, are you jealous?” Kumicho teased, making the other blonde glare daggers at him.

 

“Shut up! Idiot!”

“Who you’re calling idiot?! Spoiled child!”

“Donkey!”

“Girly boy!”

 

“Grrrr…” the two blondes growled in unison as sparks flew from their eyes.

 

“By the way… where are Valt and Shu?” Hoji whispered to Daina. “It’s weird that they didn’t join us, even though they both knew we were going to be here.”

 

Daina’s face remained stoic as he turned to face the other blader, suppressing the smirk that threatened to form on his lips.

 

“Let’s just say… they won’t be around much today.”


End file.
